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Dare To Be Similar

Staffers in Elle magazine’s advertising department couldn’t have been too comfortable after leafing through this month’s issue. Appearing just pages apart in the fashion mag were new efforts for apparel marketers Liz Claiborne and Mac & Jac, each using the tag “Get comfortable.” Stone Roberts, chairman of Liz Claiborne shop Gotham, said research often leads agencies to conjure up similar concepts, but it’s rare for two clients to end up with the same tagline. “And it is even more unusual for the advertising to appear five pages apart in the same magazine.” In this case, the ads ran nearby because Mac & Jac bought an insert (shown here) that was sent to the printer before magazine staffers could see it, an Elle source said. “We are very sensitive to issues like this, and certainly, once it happens, you never let it happen again.” Mac & Jac president and CEO Eric Karls saw the similarity of Gotham’s effort and its ads from the Shand Group as positive. “Both campaigns are fresh and exciting,” he said. “Great minds think alike!” –Justin Dini